In the manufacture of semiconductor devices, the image of a reticle is projected onto a photosensitive resist covered wafer. In order to obtain the high resolutions desired, it is necessary to bring a lens element or other element, that is part of the projection optics close to the surface of the photosensitive resist covered wafer. This distance may be as small as three mm. This, in combination with high energy illumination systems sometimes used to project the image of a reticle may result in ablated, evaporated, or effused material from the photosensitive resist covered wafer in the process of exposure and/or by background effusion with time of the material being inadvertently deposited on the lens element. This reduces system performance and is undesirable. Often, the lens element is difficult access and to clean, and results in undesirable downtime of the photolithographic tool or system. Additionally, the lens element may be damaged during cleaning. While vacuum debris removal or forced air systems have been used in very high laser cutters and ablating systems, they are not applicable in photolithographic systems where image quality must not be affected by the air flows involved. Accordingly, there is a need for a system to prevent the undesirable coating of a lens element with debris or contamination materials in a photolithographic system.